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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I've read some [a:Patricia A. McKillip|25|Patricia A. McKillip|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1220752490p2/25.jpg] before, but I can't remember exactly what or when. This book reminded me so strongly of my favorite parts of [a:Robin McKinley|5339|Robin McKinley|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]'s work that I'm going to have to read more McKillip.
The book is set in the same sort of fairy-tale, peasant era that so many fantasy worlds employ, and goes from there to a world beyond and back, as many fantasy novels do. However, McKillip paints this world with images too beautiful to consign to the ordinary. There is a section of cloudy-and-confusing on the part of the protagonist (again, à la McKinley), but the images used carried me along without making me shake my head to cast out the static.
It felt more like a fragment than an entire story, and I wish there were more of it to read.
The book is set in the same sort of fairy-tale, peasant era that so many fantasy worlds employ, and goes from there to a world beyond and back, as many fantasy novels do. However, McKillip paints this world with images too beautiful to consign to the ordinary. There is a section of cloudy-and-confusing on the part of the protagonist (again, à la McKinley), but the images used carried me along without making me shake my head to cast out the static.
It felt more like a fragment than an entire story, and I wish there were more of it to read.
I began reading McKillip at too young an age; where her gorgeous, poetic style left comprehension indiscernible. That isn't to say I wasn't left utterly enthralled upon finishing Winter Rose. While I speak for myself, Rois' inability to find her identity in either world is a theme most of us can relate to-- something McKillip's uncommon use of first person POV ensures hits home.
Over the years, I've avoided a rereading of this story, leery of the unrequited love I found so heart wrenching in my youth. It's only because I want to read Solstice Wood that I've revisited it's prequel. Once again, I find myself fascinated by the world McKillip created, but simultaneously frustrated.
In her earnest to weave undeniably beautiful imagery, McKillip seems to go overboard with that which is vague and mysterious. Oftentimes, I feel as if I was dreaming alongside with Rois. It's a feeling not entirely foreign to those of us familiar with McKillip's work, and while compelling, it would become something of a nuisance. I enjoy an air of mystery in stories, but I despise left feeling utterly bemused.
Some of the characters bothered me. It's admirable of the author to tackle such a complex topic: a woman yearning for someone other than her betrothed. We're human; prone to infidelity, and questioning ourselves. What I couldn't get past was Laurel's betrayal to her sister, who she knew felt for Corbet. And perhaps that's another message of the story, how dangerous infatuation can become. Regardless, I found Laurel's character and Rois' timidness toward her unsettling. Occasionally, their father would pipe up how ludicrous they were being, but would generally resume his laissez faire demeanor.
Despite my complaints, it is still a book I love. I appreciate how McKillip can conjure up dream-like imagery with such ease. I loved the build up through the chapters, the climax at the end. I loved Rois' perseverance, although I really feared for her heart there, for a minute. All in all, it's still a more than compelling read.
Over the years, I've avoided a rereading of this story, leery of the unrequited love I found so heart wrenching in my youth. It's only because I want to read Solstice Wood that I've revisited it's prequel. Once again, I find myself fascinated by the world McKillip created, but simultaneously frustrated.
In her earnest to weave undeniably beautiful imagery, McKillip seems to go overboard with that which is vague and mysterious. Oftentimes, I feel as if I was dreaming alongside with Rois. It's a feeling not entirely foreign to those of us familiar with McKillip's work, and while compelling, it would become something of a nuisance. I enjoy an air of mystery in stories, but I despise left feeling utterly bemused.
Some of the characters bothered me. It's admirable of the author to tackle such a complex topic: a woman yearning for someone other than her betrothed. We're human; prone to infidelity, and questioning ourselves. What I couldn't get past was Laurel's betrayal to her sister, who she knew felt for Corbet. And perhaps that's another message of the story, how dangerous infatuation can become. Regardless, I found Laurel's character and Rois' timidness toward her unsettling. Occasionally, their father would pipe up how ludicrous they were being, but would generally resume his laissez faire demeanor.
Despite my complaints, it is still a book I love. I appreciate how McKillip can conjure up dream-like imagery with such ease. I loved the build up through the chapters, the climax at the end. I loved Rois' perseverance, although I really feared for her heart there, for a minute. All in all, it's still a more than compelling read.
Winter Rose is a quiet, slow-paced fantasy focused on a character named Rois who can go back and forth between the fae world and her human world. When the grandson of a man who was murdered long ago appears in her small town, rumors abound as to why he’s back. Rois is desperate to find out his past and that of his family, but it means going against the faerie queen and putting herself in great danger.
You definitely have to be a patient reader to get through this book. This book is very slow-paced and not much happens; when stuff does happens, it has a surreal feeling to it that isn’t quite magical realism because this is a fantasy book, but almost touches on it. For much of the first half of the book, I wasn’t really sure what was going on or really where the plot was going, but I’ve read McKillip’s books before, so I trusted her to get around to it eventually. I did very much enjoy reading this book, I can just see how other readers might not like how it’s constructed or written.
I especially loved how the faerie world (it’s not really called that, but it’s pretty much what it was, I think) was depicted in this book. It’s hard to go too into detail with what exactly happens, because it’s all woven together, but I loved the beautiful descriptions of nature and how wonderfully McKillip does in showing that the fae world is beautiful beyond imagining, and yet incredibly terrifying.
The slow reveal of Rois’s and Corbet’s respective pasts was super interesting, and that more than anything kept me hooked into the book. Coming to terms with one’s past and how it has shaped a family and a person is a big theme throughout the book, and it was handled in interesting ways. One of the most evocative moments is when Rois sees Corbet’s grandfather within Corbet himself, showing that Corbet has a cruel streak because of how his grandfather abused his father.
If you’re at all a fan of McKillip, I would highly recommend this book. If you’re a patient reader who likes fantasy, definitely give this a try. It’s interesting and the prose is gorgeous.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
You definitely have to be a patient reader to get through this book. This book is very slow-paced and not much happens; when stuff does happens, it has a surreal feeling to it that isn’t quite magical realism because this is a fantasy book, but almost touches on it. For much of the first half of the book, I wasn’t really sure what was going on or really where the plot was going, but I’ve read McKillip’s books before, so I trusted her to get around to it eventually. I did very much enjoy reading this book, I can just see how other readers might not like how it’s constructed or written.
I especially loved how the faerie world (it’s not really called that, but it’s pretty much what it was, I think) was depicted in this book. It’s hard to go too into detail with what exactly happens, because it’s all woven together, but I loved the beautiful descriptions of nature and how wonderfully McKillip does in showing that the fae world is beautiful beyond imagining, and yet incredibly terrifying.
The slow reveal of Rois’s and Corbet’s respective pasts was super interesting, and that more than anything kept me hooked into the book. Coming to terms with one’s past and how it has shaped a family and a person is a big theme throughout the book, and it was handled in interesting ways. One of the most evocative moments is when Rois sees Corbet’s grandfather within Corbet himself, showing that Corbet has a cruel streak because of how his grandfather abused his father.
If you’re at all a fan of McKillip, I would highly recommend this book. If you’re a patient reader who likes fantasy, definitely give this a try. It’s interesting and the prose is gorgeous.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
Finished the book and still don't understand the plot...
Really well written, but so much of it was so obscure and unexplained that it didn't make sense to me in a lot of parts. The ending was a little too open-ended for my taste as well,
When one of your favourite authors of all time writes a novel inspired by one of your most beloved fairytales (Beauty and the Beast), you might reasonably expect the result to be literary magic. In this case, "Winter Rose" absolutely delivers. McKillip's prose shimmers with lush, dreamlike beauty, evoking a folkloric style that is one of my favourite features of her writing in general. Equally, I love the way in which the winter wood is itself a character - one that is ancient, enigmatic, and often frightening - in the narrative. Further, the relationship between the protagonist and her sister, both of whose lives become irrevocably entangled with that of the tragic and mysterious Corbet Lynn, is subtly and beautifully crafted.
This novel reads like a fever-dream, or some fae enchantment; in both style and substance, it is as far from the action-fueled, fast-paced, neatly-plotted narratives that characterise the majority of contemporary fantasy novels as it is possible to be. Give yourself over to the magic, however, and you're likely to be enthralled. This one is perfect for cosy winter reading!
This novel reads like a fever-dream, or some fae enchantment; in both style and substance, it is as far from the action-fueled, fast-paced, neatly-plotted narratives that characterise the majority of contemporary fantasy novels as it is possible to be. Give yourself over to the magic, however, and you're likely to be enthralled. This one is perfect for cosy winter reading!
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No